US top diplomat Blinken visits Tonga, raises alarm on China
July 26, 2023
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned South Pacific nations about China's "problematic behavior," during his state visit to the tiny island of Tonga.
Blinken is the first US secretary of state to visit Tonga, where he inaugurated the new US embassy in Nuku'alofa, which was officially opened in May.
Washington continues to increase its diplomatic efforts in the Pacific to counter Beijing's growing influence in the region.
Addressing a press conference, Blinken said that the US had no objection to China's involvement in the region but noted that there were concerns that its investments needed to be transparent.
Blinken alerts on China's ‘predatory economic activities'
"I think one of the things that we have seen is that as China's engagement in the (Indo-Pacific) region has grown there has been some, from our perspective, increasingly problematic behavior," Blinken said.
He claimed China had been behind "some predatory economic activities, and also investments that are done in a way that can actually undermine good governance and promote corruption."
Earlier, Blinken held talks with Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni to discuss the bilateral relationship, as well as other regional and global issues.
Tonga owes around $130 million to China
Tonga, a Polynesian archipelago of about 100,000 people, is heavily indebted to Beijing, one of the West's biggest concerns.
The island kingdom owes China's export bank around $130 million (€ 117.4 million) — almost a third of its GDP.
During the visit, Blinken also delivered a warning about China's aid and investment, saying it often comes with strings attached.
However, Prime Minister Sovaleni said that Tonga this year had started to pay down its debt and had no concerns about its relationship with China.
He said that the investment was focused on development such as infrastructure.
Blinken next travels to New Zealand on Thursday, where he will meet with officials and watch the women's World Cup soccer match between the US and the Netherlands.
He then travels to Australia. This trip is Blinken's third to the Asia-Pacific region in the past two months, following his visits to China and Indonesia.
ara/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)